You are here

Blog Archive: August 2011

Motherhood has long been viewed as a valued role for women, regardless of whether or not every woman is a mother or plans on being one. In all fairness, it is a defining role for many women and something that gives their lives added meaning. I can certainly understand how this could be a principle role in one’s life - I feel as though motherhood, among other things, gives my life purpose and a completeness stemming from conceiving, carrying and raising a child.

Historically, women who did not have children were viewed as unfortunate (I am referring primarily to middle class, white women). Their primary role was in the home and children were a large part of “keeping a home.” Before women entered the paid workforce, their primary job was to have and care for children. As you can imagine, women who for whatever reason were unable to bear children, suffered socially and emotionally as a result of their infertility. The idea of being complete, of being a whole woman was challenged by their childless identity.

In their article, Rodriguez and Campo-Engelstein argue that ovarian tissue transplantation can serve, through the act of biological reproduction, to render women whole, meaning to conceive and carry a pregnancy naturally. By utilizing case studies that span over a century, they show that the idea of wholeness embodied in biological motherhood still permeates women’s identities thus, organ transplantation that restores fertility in women helps facilitate this idea of completeness.

We hope that all patients of reproductive age who are diagnosed with cancer have the opportunity to discuss oncofertility with their provider shortly after diagnosis. This conversation should include the options, risks, benefits and various outcomes of available fertility preservation techniques....

Categories:

Religion and oncofertility strive to maintain an open and mutually beneficial dialogue in order to meet somewhere in the middle. Oddly enough, science and theology often overlap, albeit outside of the lab, so it’s important to bridge any gaps that may exist in the current debate surrounding...

Categories:

Women and girls who undergo radiation and chemotherapy to treat cancer or other diseases are a significant risk of going into premature menopause and infertility. Menopause and infertility, while related, are not the same thing and it is important to understand the difference. Menopause is the...

Categories:

The goal of oncofertility is to preserve the future fertility of cancer patients and ensure they have reproductive choice after they’ve finished treatment. Not all methods of fertility preservation are considered “established” techniques meaning they are viewed as experimental and must be offered...

Categories:

Here at the Oncofertility Consortium Blog, it’s important to us that our readers who may be diagnosed with cancer or know someone that is, have a wealth of resources to tap into for support. A cancer diagnosis often leads to questions and concerns throughout the trajectory of the disease. Having...

Categories:

Mary Zelinski, PhD finishes her reports from the annual meeting of the Society for Cryobiology held from Corvallis, Oregon with a final blog about the keynote talk from Alison Ting, PhD. In this post, she relay's Dr. Ting's findings about advancing ovarian tissue cryopreservation techniques in one...

Categories:

Recently I dipped my foot into the real estate market and began looking for a place we could call home. I followed all the steps that most anyone else would: I hooked up with a real estate agent (*Todd), I began scouring all the listings in my price range and after a few visits to "the house" I...

Categories:

In this blog, Mary Zelinski, PhD continues her reports from the annual meeting of the Society for Cryobiology held in Corvallis, Oregon, July 24-27. In this post, she relay's the findings of Dr. Pukazhenthi, on the importance of fertility preservation for endangered species. Read the first and ...

Categories:

It’s not uncommon for people to gift others with money on a birthday, or a graduation, at a wedding, etc.., but what about when people really need it? What about when people are in times of personal crisis? Statistics show that 60% of all bankruptcies are a result of medical costs with most people...

Categories:

Last week, Mary Zelinski reported to us about the annual meeting of the Society for Cryobiology held in Corvallis, Oregon, July 24-27. She continues her review of the meeting and the keynote presentation by Dr. Steven Mullen, below. Read the first blog post on Cryo2011.

Disclaimer

The contents of the Oncofertility Consortium Blog are for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.